Washing machine

Abstract

The disclosure provides a washing machine including a drum, a container for holding items to be washed, a weight sensor for sensing the weight of items in the container, and a transfer mechanism configured to automatically transfer the items from the container to the drum when the weight sensed by the weight sensor reaches a pre-determined threshold. The disclosure also provides a method for washing items using a washing machine.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A washing machine comprising:
 a washing drum configured to wash items; 
 a container configured to hold items to be washed; 
 a weight sensor configured to sense the weight of the items in the container; and 
 a transfer mechanism configured to automatically transfer the items from the container to the washing drum when the weight sensed by the weight sensor reaches a pre-determined threshold. 
 
     
     
       2. The washing machine of  claim 1 , wherein the washing drum includes a movable wall portion which can be moved to expose an opening in the washing drum wall through which the items can be transferred to the washing drum. 
     
     
       3. The washing machine of  claim 2 , wherein the moveable wall portion is mounted on rails and is moveable by sliding along the rails. 
     
     
       4. The washing machine of  claim 2 , wherein the moveable wall portion is coupled to the rest of the washing drum wall by a hinge and is moveable by rotation about the hinge. 
     
     
       5. The washing machine of any of  claim 1 , comprising a pipe through which the items can be transferred from the container to the washing drum. 
     
     
       6. The washing machine of  claim 5 , comprising a suction device for drawing the items along the pipe towards the washing drum using differential air pressure. 
     
     
       7. The washing machine of  claim 6 , comprising a plurality of suction devices located at intervals along the pipe, wherein the suction devices are operable to be progressively activated to suck the items up the pipe. 
     
     
       8. The washing machine of any of  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of containers, wherein each container is allocated to a category of the items, and a visual display configured to indicate the category of each container to the user. 
     
     
       9. The washing machine of any of  claim 1 , comprising a reader for gathering additional information about the items as they are transferred from the container to the washing drum. 
     
     
       10. The washing machine of  claim 9 , wherein the reader is a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and the items are provided with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. 
     
     
       11. The washing machine of  claim 9 , wherein the reader is an optical camera for taking images of labels on the items of clothing and transmitting the images to an image processor. 
     
     
       12. The washing machine of any of  claim 9 , comprising a controller for determining a wash cycle based on the additional information and automatically initiating the wash cycle once the items have been transferred to the washing drum. 
     
     
       13. The washing machine of  claim 12 , wherein determining the wash cycle comprises determining a temperature and/or a duration of the wash cycle.